Review: Borgen

Borgen, the original title of the Danish series literally means parliament. This is the story of a woman, but certainly not the typical character from Desperate Housewives or similar series, but a political character, Prime Minister Birgitte Nyborg, played by the brilliant and charismatic Sidse Babett Knudsen. Birgitte Nyborg, member and leader of a small centrist party in Denmark, is pushed against all expectations for the Prime Minister position.

The 58 minutes episodes in this excellent Danish series picture a woman's life in the middle of a world of men, namely the world of politics. The script is extremely realistic and even though it has a touch of romance it proves to be exactly right to help keep a lively pace. The series offers a lucid analysis of the political world, by presenting captivating and complex political plots, as well as unexpected political attacks. Each chapter of this series begins with a quote from Machiavelli or Sun Tzu which sets the tone for the dilemmas Birgitte will face. There’s always a difficult decision to be made by this married woman and mother of two children leader of one of the biggest European economies, and this makes the series truly captivating. The genius of Borgen is to depict the opposite of what we call politically correctness with its brutal characters, constantly haunted by their own demons and past.

Verdict:

The series follows the drama of a woman Prime Minister that goes through various complex situations while running the country, given that her husband stays home and takes care of the couple's children while she deals with tough political decision making in a world mainly driven by men.